Renungan, Senin 14 September 2026

SERMON: Luke: 9:23

Thema: The Cost of Following Jesus(Harga yang harus dibayar dalam mengikut Yesus)

Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”.

Indonesia: Yesus berkata kepada mereka semua’ Jika seseorang mau mengikut Aku, ia harus menyangkal dirinya, memikul salibnya setiap hari, dan mengikut Aku”.

Introduction

Many people come to Jesus and follow Him because they expect to receive something from Him. For example, they want:

God’s blessings;
help when they face difficulties;
healing;
a safe and successful life;
answers to their prayers;
and sometimes, even personal benefits.

The same thing happened during Jesus’ earthly ministry, including among His own disciples. Jesus knew the true motives of those who followed Him. Therefore, He wanted His disciples to understand who He really was and what it would cost to follow Him. In Luke 9:18–22, Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” Peter’s confession was correct. However, Jesus knew that His disciples did not yet fully understand what it meant for Him to be the Messiah or what it would mean for them to follow Him. In Luke 9:22, Jesus explained that He must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and be raised on the third day. Jesus was showing them that the way of the Messiah was not the way of worldly glory, but the way of suffering and the cross.

After explaining the path He Himself would take, Jesus said to His disciples and to all who were listening:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
(Luke 9:23)

In this verse, Jesus gives us three essential marks of true discipleship:

Deny yourself.
Take up your cross daily.
Follow Me.

DENY YOURSELF

To deny yourself means to be willing to surrender your own desires, personal interests, ego, comfort, and ambitions when they are contrary to the will of Christ. It means accepting the cost of discipleship and remaining faithful to Jesus. Denying yourself does not mean hating yourself, destroying your dignity, or believing that you have no value. On the contrary, we recognize that we are precious in the sight of God. But we no longer place ourselves at the center of our lives. For example, we do good—not so that people will praise us, honor us, or glorify us, but so that God’s name may be glorified.

To deny yourself means:

“It is no longer about what I want, but about what Christ wants.”

Self-denial is deeper than simply saying:

“I must not do this.”
“I must control my emotions.”
“I must make sacrifices.”

At its deepest level, self-denial means changing the center of our lives. Christ is no longer at the edge of our lives. Christ becomes the center. Therefore, denying ourselves is an act of total surrender to Christ.

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY

Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily.” To take up our cross means to be willing to accept the consequences of our decision to follow Christ. Following Christ means living our everyday lives according to His way, His teaching, and His example. In the time of Jesus, the cross was not a decoration. It was a symbol of suffering, rejection, sacrifice, and death. Therefore, when Jesus said, “Take up your cross,” He was calling His disciples to be willing to pay the cost of following Him.

Notice the word “daily.”

Following Christ is not merely a decision we make once. It is a commitment that must be renewed every day. Today we may be faithful to Christ and willing to sacrifice for His name. But tomorrow, will we still be faithful? Today we may be willing to serve. But tomorrow, when the service becomes difficult, will we continue? Today we may be willing to do what is right. But tomorrow, when doing what is right costs us something, will we still choose Christ?

Therefore, the cross is not simply about suffering. The cross is about remaining faithful to Christ, even when faithfulness requires sacrifice.

FOLLOW ME

Jesus did not simply say, “Believe in Me.” He also said, “Follow Me.” To follow Jesus means to make Jesus our direction, our example, our Lord, and the center of our lives. A follower does not decide his own way and then ask Jesus to bless that way.

Instead, a true disciple says:

“Lord, where are You leading me?”

To follow Jesus means to walk behind Him and go where He leads us. Following Jesus is not about remaining in our comfort zone. When Jesus goes into ministry, we follow Him. When Jesus serves the poor and the suffering, we follow Him. When Jesus teaches the truth, we follow Him. When Jesus forgives, we learn to forgive. When Jesus humbles Himself, we learn to humble ourselves. When Jesus gives His life for humanity, we learn to give our lives fully to God’s service—not half-heartedly and not merely as something secondary in our lives.

Therefore, let us not simply say with our lips, “I am a faithful follower of Jesus,” while continually finding excuses to avoid the responsibilities God has entrusted to us. True discipleship is not only about what we say. It is about how we live.

CONCLUSION
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Luke 9:23 is not an invitation to an easy life. It is a call to discipleship. Jesus calls us not merely to admire Him, believe in Him, or receive blessings from Him. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Following Christ means saying:

“Lord, my life no longer belongs to me.
I surrender my will to Your will.
Your cross becomes the way I walk,
and You become the purpose and direction of my life.”

Brothers and sisters,
being a disciple of Christ is not only about believing in and receiving Christ. It is about surrendering ourselves to Christ, following Him every day, and being willing to accept the cost of discipleship.

The question is not only:

“Do I believe in Jesus?”

But also:

“Am I willing to follow Jesus?”

And not only:

“What can Jesus give me?”

But:

“What am I willing to give to Christ?”

May our lives become a true testimony that we are not merely people who believe in Jesus, but faithful disciples who deny ourselves, carry our cross daily, and follow Him wherever He leads us.

Amen.

(Bvr. Dr. Roslinda Sihombing, M.Si)